Is your consent informed? The practice of informed consent is designed to give patients the crucial information they need to make choices regarding their medical care. But “Informed Decision Making in Maternity Care,” a report by Holly Goldberg published in the Winter 2009 issue of the Journal of Perinatal Education, reveals that health-care providers often do not fully inform mothers giving birth of the risks of certain medical procedures. Goldberg writes, “In the United States, federal acts and regulations, as well as professional guidelines, clearly dictate that every pregnant woman has the right to base her maternity-care decisions on accurate, up-to-date, comprehensible information. Despite these efforts, evidence suggests that informed consent within current health-care practice is restricted and inconsistently implemented.”

Though not specifically discussed in the study, an example of this would be when a birthing mother is asked to make decisions about certain procedures her health-care provider deems necessary, such as inducing labor or administering an epidural, but is not informed that such procedures can lead to childbirth complications such as increased risk of cesarean section. In such a situation, she is implicitly being asked to waive her right to informed consent.

Taking the following steps will help
ensure that your childbirth decisions
are made in a context of fully informed
consent:

• Research common obstetrical procedures and medications so that you understand their purposes and risks.

• Talk to your doctor or health-care provider in advance, and make sure he or she knows which procedures and medications you prefer.

• Make sure your partner, doula, or other advocate is aware of your preferences, so that, in the heat of labor, she or he can help you make the best choices for you and your baby.

For more information, see Lamaze International at www.lamaze.org.

Report: providers fail to fully inform patients

When you can’t buy organic, which conventionally grown fruits and vegetables are the healthiest? You’ll find the answer in the Environmental Working Group’s “Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides.” Now in its fifth edition, the wallet-sized guide lists the pesticide loads of 47 different fruits and vegetables, ranking them from worst (peaches and apples) to best (avocados and onions). Download a printable version of the guide at www.foodnews.org, and see the complete list at www.foodnews.org/fulllist.php.

Want some

pesticides with that peach?

STERN CEN TER FOR LANGUAGE AND LEARNING

—L. A.

Want help in greening your house? Check out the Sierra Club’s new Green Home website, www.sierraclubgreenhome.com, for tips on how to make your house more energy-efficient and environmentally sustainable. Created by the well-known environmental nonprofit group, the Green Home site offers information on a variety of topics, from composting to solar energy. Make a planet-friendly home

Baby steps to LITERACY

Reading is an essential life skill that can be promoted as early as preschool. A new, free, 12-hour online course, “ Building Blocks for Literacy,” aims to give early-childhood educators tools for teaching preschoolers the skills that lay a foundation for literacy. The program also includes a video for parents.

For more information, see www. buildingblocksforliteracy.org.